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Monday, December 12, 2005

Do you remember the wildly popular (and absolutely hysterical) Name That Sheep Contest I held back in October? (No? Then read this and then this to find out what you missed.) Do you remember how disappointed you were when you didn't win a sheep? Well, guess what? You have another chance! No, it's not another contest. It's something much better. And it doesn't even involve bashing anybody else's entry. All you have to do is fork over five bucks (that would be dollars, not deer).

But what fun would it be just to beg you for some dough, even if it is for a great cause? Instead, we've put together a huge list of cool, fun, and personal gifts (like only we could) to entice you to donate. Each of the gifts is being offered as a virtual raffle prize. All you have to do is donate $5 and you will be eligible for the raffle drawing for a gift of your choice.

On our menu this year is everything from a chance to have an afternoon tea with the one and only Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini, to a personalized Napa Valley itinerary created by über-wine blogger Alder of Vinography, to a chance to be in the Amateur Gourmet Adventure video with Adam himself, to three very fancy hampers featuring the true artisanal flavors of the San Francisco Bay Area put together by Sam of Becks and Posh, and many, many more, including several gorgeous cookbooks.

We are once again using the site First Giving to collect the donations. In the interest of transparency, First Giving will do all of the collecting and then forward the funds directly to Unicef, our recipient organization. The fund will be earmarked to support the victims of the Kashmir earthquake.

3.Be sure to tell us in the comment section of your donation form which gift(s) you would like to win. Each $5 donation will give you one chance at winning the prize of your choice. (Yes, if you donate more than $5, you are allowed to specify more than one prize. Or you can choose to put all of your chances toward the same prize. For example, donate $25 and choose 1 chance at 5 different gifts, or 5 chances for the same gift, or 2 chances for one gift & 3 chances for one gift, or. . .)

4.That's it!

Our campaign will end on December 23rd, and the winners will be announced and the prizes sent to corresponding winners after January 1st 2006. Any shipping charges for prizes are generously being paid for by the donors.

So what did I donate? The 'honorary ownership' of the first ewe lamb born on my farm in 2006! And what does that mean exactly? Well, it's pretty much the same deal as it was for the Name That Sheep Contest. You become the honorary owner of the lamb. You get to name your lamb whatever you want. And, if you so desire, you will receive (via email) periodic news about your lamb, including what she's been up to lately, how her health is doing, and photos as she quickly grows from absolutely adorable bouncing baby to lovely young lady (assuming, of course, that she is willing to pose for them).

Note: Being the winner does not mean that 'your' new sheep gets to come and live with you. No, she stays right here on the farm (and you don't even get to visit her). But, you do get to tell all of your friends that you are the proud owner of a sheep. You simply explain to them that your sheep lives in the country because she is much happier there than she would be in, say, your fifth floor apartment or out on the fire escape or eating up all of the landscaping in your beautiful backyard.

Ding! Ding! Ding! It's the Holiday Gift Idea Bell ringing again! Why not do a little multi-gift-tasking and purchase some virtual raffle tickets for friends, neighbors, the person who walks your cat, or whomever? Just choose the prize you think they'd like the best and let them know that you've not only made a donation to a worthy cause in their name, but that they might even win a nifty gift as well (like a sheep). You can't beat that.

Thanks in advance for your participation. Let's hope we can raise enough money to make a difference--and maybe you'll even win your own little lamb at the same time.

P.S. The spotted darling in the photo is not your lamb. Your lamb hasn't been born yet. Cute, though, huh? Imagine 17 of them racing around here last spring. . .

Hi Susan. I am Jennifer New, winner of the Ewe! I just looked at Chez Pim and saw my name. The only other thing I've won in my life is a side of beef in a contest my grandparents entered me in when I was a child. Let me say, this is much more exciting and adorable. So, golly, what next? We'll put her photo on our fridge and send funds for carrots...or whatever...!

Thank you all for your generous donations. For those of you who were vying for a little lamb to call your own and did not win, do not despair! There will (hopefully) always be more sheep and other critters who need names and honorary owners and. . . : )

And to Majimama,CONGRATULATIONS on winning!

Okay, here's the scoop on your little wooly prize. Well, first of all, I want to make sure that you realize it hasn't actually been born yet. That spotted cutie pie in the photo was just a stand-in. I felt I needed a real live, adorable sample. : )

Hopefully all of my grown up ewes are pregnant right now. The 2006 lambs should start arriving sometime after February 1st. 'Yours' will be the first ewe lamb born! I will of course take newborn pictures for you. Then you get to name her whatever you like, so tell the kids to put those naming caps on. : )

I'll send you photos as she grows up (they get big fast!), tell you about her mother and her other sisters, etc., and generally keep you updated on how and what she's doing (if you're interested).

I'm so happy you're excited about winning. I knew she would go to a good 'home.' And all the other sheep will certainly be jealous when they find out her picture is going to be posted on your fridge. : )

Again, thanks to everyone for participating in the Menu For Hope Campaign. We couldn't have raised over $17,000 in just 10 days without you!

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!